Once operational in space, GEMS
will be the first air quality sensor in geostationary
orbit where it will help monitor pollution events in the
Korean peninsula and Asia-Pacific region.

"GEMS is a result of more than 30
years of innovation in advanced spectrometers at Ball
Aerospace," said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president
and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "Data
from GEMS will enable KARI's mission to assess and
forecast air pollution by identifying sources and
distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere."

Ball Aerospace led GEMS development
under a contract with KARI for the National Institute of
Environmental Research in the Ministry of Environment of
South Korea. GEMS will make hourly measurements of key
constituents that make up air pollution, including ozone
and nitrogen dioxide, which will improve early warnings
for potentially dangerous pollution events.

GEMS is one part of a global air
quality monitoring constellation of geostationary
satellites that will include NASA's Tropospheric
Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) spectrometer.
Ball completed TEMPO in September 2018 for NASA Langley
Research Center and Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory. TEMPO is scheduled to launch in 2022.